Season
Pasture
Animal Health
After a winter in pens and barns, your herd is ready to go back to pasture. But delaying turnout as long as possible can give stressed pastures more time to recover. TIP > Don’t forget to feed your pastures. Fertilizer alone grows pounds of grass, but it also grows pounds of weeds. UltiGraz℠ Pasture Weed & Feed brings together fertilizer and weed control for increased forage production and the potential to raise more pounds of beef per acre. Combining the two saves an application expense and can help you make the most of your lowest-cost feed source — your grazing acres. A lot is asked of each of your cows, with a calf at her side and another in gestation. Protect your pastures’ nutritional plane to meet herd energy requirements. “Now is the time to treat many perennial weeds, including Canada thistle, tall ironweed and western ragweed,” Ingram says. “Undesirable weeds can leave your grass competing for valuable nutrients and leave your herd hungry.” TIP > While you’re treating broadleaf weeds, resist the temptation to treat brush and other woody plants too early. Take time to ensure undesirable brush and woody plants are fully leafed out and actively growing, which usually doesn’t start before mid- to late June. Providing quality grazing from the start can help your calves get ahead too. “The more nutritious, abundant grazing you provide up through weaning, the faster, more efficiently calves gain with less reliance on more expensive supplemental feeding,” Ingram says. TIP > Large pastures limit rotational grazing possibilities. Consider crossfencing to facilitate cattle movement based on the level of forage production and allow a rest period for the previously grazed pasture. This can increase utilization and increase per-acre production. Highly nutritious forage, whether grazed or harvested, is critical to get fall–calving cows in optimum condition for timely breedback. It’s even more important if you are using synchronization protocols to AI-breed those cows. Take steps to help your grasses recover from the grazing season and prepare for winter. “Perennial species are great candidates for fall treatment,” Ingram explains. “You can get better control of thistles, dogbane, milkweeds and horsenettle with well-timed fall applications. Late- fall application also can be very effective on seedling biennials, such as plumeless and musk thistle and common burdock, and winter annuals.” TIP > Any fall moisture will germinate new weed seedlings. Most are easier to control at this stage, which makes herbicide applications especially effective during this season.
If you have cattle grazing, then you also have a risk of exposure to internal parasites. A parasite control program is critical for cows so they can utilize nutrients in the forage. TIP > Control of internal and external parasites is an essential building block for healthy cattle. Zoetis offers Valcor® (doramectin and levamisole injection), dual- ingredient, single-dose cattle dewormer that attacks both internal and external parasites. In a study, heifer calves treated with Valcor demonstrated 9.3 pounds more gain over 56 days when compared with heifers treated with ivermectin. 1 Summer grazing is a quiet time. Healthy pastures can lead to the best nutrition available for a healthy herd. TIP > Proper pasture management prevents overgrazing that increases the risk of picking up internal parasites.
Fall preconditioning vaccinations should be top of mind for the calves before they are weaned. “The antibodies from colostrum are gone once calves reach weaning time,” Tracy says. “Administering efficacious calf vaccinations prior to weaning will help boost immunity for the next, more-stressful phases of their life.” TIP > Administering respiratory vaccinations and a dose of parasite control while the calves are still at the side of the cow and about four weeks before weaning is ideal. Consult your herd veterinarian to discuss protocols that align with your herd’s vaccination history. A timed artificial insemination program can help tighten the calving window, and the labor requirements that go with it. Your local veterinarian is a great person to consult with any questions on protocols and products that make sense for your herd. “A synchronization program helps define the breeding season and frontload calving as much as possible,” Tracy says. “This practice not only provides labor efficiencies during calving, but it also allows calves more time on the cow and more pounds of beef produced at the end of the season.” TIP > When implementing a synchronization program, follow these four steps: 1. Work with your veterinarian to set up an on-label synchronization protocol that best fits your herd. 2. Make sure you understand the protocol and when products are administered. 3. Keep accurate records of the cows and when products are administered so cows are inseminated at the right time. 4. Use the smallest gauge needle allowed — an 18- or 20-gauge needle, 1.5 inches long. This allows the injection to be placed deep in the muscle. Replace the needle often to avoid abscesses.
There are many variables and practices that can contribute to more pounds of beef produced per acre. But Ingram and Tracy recognize each herd is unique, with different management practices already in place. “There is more than one way to manage a successful cattle operation,” Tracy says. “Be sure to take full advantage of local expertise to identify and customize management protocols for your herd.” He encourages producers to regularly consult their local veterinarian, nutritionist and Corteva Range & Pasture Specialist for best results. Scan the QR code to learn more about how herd health and grazing management go hand in hand.
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